Life is Change
by csmann92
Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

It was the best of times it was the worst of times. No wait. It was just the worst of times. It was always the worst of times for Dib, ever since he was born. Everyone he had ever known had either ignored him or outright hated him. Acquaintances, peers, even his own family neglected and abused him. His fascination with the paranormal became a lifeline for him. Even though most of his childhood was devoid any proof that things like big-foot, ghosts, or aliens existed, Dib clung to his hope that there was something out there, waiting to be found. He was finally proven right that fateful day in elementary school, when he met his arch nemesis, Zim, for the first time.

It was as if all his dreams had come true. Here it was, living proof that Dib had been right all along. He wasn't crazy; aliens really _did_ exist. All he had to do was reveal the alien for what he was and he wouldn't just be sane – he'd be a hero. No more could people call him crazy, no, he'd be Dib, the boy who discovered hostile extraterrestrial life and saved the earth. Or so Dib thought. But he was wrong. No matter how many times he tried to point out the truth that was right in front of their faces, people could not believe that Zim was an alien. They'd rather believe that Dib was insane. After all, what kind of _normal_ child thinks that Bigfoot was in his garage using the belt-sander?

However, Dib was only slightly disheartened. If no one could see through Zim's disguise, he would take it upon himself to expose Zim for what he really was. Zim became his mission. Yet time and time again Dib failed. Every time he managed to get his hands on evidence that would vindicate him it was somehow lost. And if Zim made a mistake and exposed himself for a few seconds, well, his classmates were too _stupid_ to believe Dib's pointing out of the obvious. Unwilling to give in, Dib resolved that he just needed the right proof; _then_ everyone would believe him. Zim would be dissected and he'd be a hero. Until then, he would just have to satisfy himself with the knowledge that he was the only one capable of protecting his fellow humans from the alien menace.

Time passed, and before he knew it, Dib was in high school. Little had changed in his life. Sure, he was 16. He'd gone through puberty. He'd gotten taller. He'd changed schools and teachers, but what else was new? Dib was still hated and ignored. He had no friends. His only social activity, if it could be called that, was interacting with Zim. The full scale battles were a fewer in number these days, but he and Zim were sure to exchange insults on a daily basis. Zim had grown a little over the years, but he was still much below the average human male. With the knowledge that Zim's society was largely height-based, Dib made sure to poke fun at Zim's tiny stature as frequently as he could. Zim was fairly unaffected by his taunts. Maybe he was short for a human, but he was tall for an Irken, and that was all that _really_ mattered.

It started out as a normal day. Dib went to class. He tried to explain to everyone that Zim was an alien, but standing up in the middle of class and shouting about Zim's abnormal features just earned him a "Shut up Dib" from his teacher and jeers from his classmates. Dib ignored them, of course. They'd see, eventually. Things started to get weird at lunch.

Dib was trying down the disgusting goop that he had been served for his mid-day meal when a familiar voice sent him choking with surprise.

"Hello, Dib-monkey. Have you ever thought about giving up?"

Dib swallowed the mouthful and the nausea said mouthful caused.

"Never Zim, I'll never let you win. You think I'll just stand by and let you destroy all humankind?"

"You misunderstand, Dib-stink. I wasn't referring to letting me win, not that you need to; Zim will win either way. No earth-worm, I was referring to those other stink-beasts you call your classmates. Why do you continue to attempt to reason with them?"

Dib glared at the poorly disguised alien and replied with venom, "I see what you're up to Zim. Trying to get me to give up, huh? You're just afraid that you'll be revealed as the alien scum you really are. After all, it wouldn't be long before you'd be on the autopsy table."

Zim laughed quietly, "Dib-thing, do you really believe that your fellow humans will ever see anything other than what they want to see? We've been at this for years now. Zim could have revealed himself in all his Irken glory and your pitiful race would have most likely dismissed me as someone in a strange costume. "

Dib didn't reply to that right away. It was too close to home. Many a time Dib had wondered if his fellow humans would ever see the truth, but had suppressed the thought as irrelevant. He just needed better proof. No one believed him because he didn't have a convincing enough argument, he reasoned. Most people would find it hard to accept the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life, so of course he would need stronger evidence to prove it to them.

Dib sighed. This was not something he wanted to think about. His life was hard enough just dealing with Zim without questioning the worth his life's work.

"What do you want Zim?"

Zim smiled, "Easy enough stink beast. I am here to inform you that I will be taking a vacation from trying to destroy all humans. I propose a temporary truce."


	2. Chapter 2

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"This is a trick, right? You offer a truce then you turn around and destroy mankind? You really think I'm dumb enough to fall for this?"

"Nonsense, Zim doesn't need to resort to such trickery. I am a genius! I can and will destroy you all easily. No, Dib, I just don't feel like it right now. You should be grateful and take the opportunity that the mighty Zim is offering you. You could postpone your doom for a little while, Dib-stink. Think about it. Just remember Dib-thing, truces aren't one-sided. Should you agree to my _generous_ offer, you would be agreeing not to try to expose, capture, or kill me while I'm vacationing. "

Dib thought about it. At first, he thought Zim was just trying to trick him. But what if he wasn't? It would be nice, Dib thought, to not have to worry so much about the safety of the planet. It was a burden to be the sole protector of all humans. Sometimes it really weighed down on him. Plus it might not be a bad idea to spend a little more time on his school work. Dib's extracurricular activities with Zim tended to make it difficult to find the time to study. While saving the world was much more important than school could ever be, Dib was not so delusional as to think that it would be okay to get held back a year. He had to at least pass his classes, if nothing else.

Zim was _probably_ trying to trick him. "Why should I trust you, Zim? Give me one good reason before I seriously consider this offer of yours."

Zim gave him an innocent, wide-eyed look and stated simply, "I never said that the Dib had to trust me. You may still, as you humans say, 'Keep an eye' on me. However, Zim will keep his word. Should you agree, Dib-stink, I will not make any attempts to destroy you or the rest of your horrible species while the deal is in effect."

There was a thought. That meant that Zim wouldn't consider any spying to be a violation of the truce. Spying was what Dib did most of the time these days anyways. Maybe if he felt Zim was genuinely taking a break, he could trade off some of his usual Zim-watching time for doing some of his homework. And, if as Dib suspected Zim was just up to no good, it wouldn't be much of a change for Dib. He'd just spend all his free time watching Zim and thwarting his evil plans.

Dib shrugged and said, "If that's the case I don't see why not. Truce, I guess."

Zim gave a thin smile, "Truce, human."

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><p>"HI MASTER!" came the shrill mechanical voice. Zim sighed. His head hurt. Why he still kept that annoying moronic machine around, he didn't know. Maybe it reminded him of home. More high-pitched squealing reached his antennae. No, no one on Irk was ever <em>this<em> annoying.

Zim shed his uncomfortable disguise and slowly made his way to the sofa. Today had gone well, all things considered. At least the Dib had agreed. Things would be easier for Zim now. It was much more difficult for Zim to come up with plans for destroying the humans now that he understood the truth. He had no mission. He was hated by his own people. There was little point in him conquering the pathetic little planet he was exiled to.

It was not as though he came to this realization overnight either. He might have been defective, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He had slowly begun to suspect that this might be the case, so he had gone over in his head and analyzed every interaction he had ever had with his Tallests, hoping that maybe he was mistaken. To his despair, he found that Tallests Red and Purple had been telling him all along, in both subtle and blatant terms, that he was not an invader. It made so much sense too. He was always the one to contact his Tallests. They so often sounded either overly annoyed or amused at his reports. The constant suppressed laughter he heard in his leaders' voices was the main reason he became so suspicious in the first place.

It was heartbreaking to Zim to realize that he had always been a nuisance to Tallests Red and Purple. Perhaps an amusing nuisance at times, but they had never valued him. He had a feeling that they would be happier if he was dead.

Zim understood this. He was unwilling to completely give up however. Maybe he was stuck on this horrible planet, but he could still conquer it. He might have been inferior to the rest of his race, but he would nevertheless always be better than the humans. And being superior, naturally he ought to be their leader. Yet, Zim's urge to rule the planet was not as strong as it had once been. Without the hope of proving himself to his leaders, it was more of a desire than a passion. It wasn't as though he had any time limits to delude himself with either. He could take as much time as he wanted to subjugate the humans.

Things being as they were, Zim needed a break. He just couldn't pretend to the Dib-human that he cared as much as he used to anymore. With this truce in place, he had an excuse not to come up with novel plans for a while, without revealing the truth to the human. He couldn't bear losing his relationship with Dib. Dib made him feel as though he was worth something, in a way that no one else ever did. Dib was his enemy, but he respected Zim. Zim feared that if Dib learned the truth of his mission, Zim would become truly worthless.

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><p>Please review! Constructive criticism is appreciated, but no flames please. If you want to say mean things with no other purpose than to make people feel bad, go somewhere else.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

The next day dawned and Dib walked to school with a general feeling of unease. Today was the first day of his supposed truce with Zim. He hoped that Zim was actually being honest, but he couldn't help but think that Zim's "vacation" was more likely a ruse meant to lure him into a false sense of security whilst Zim enacted some horrible plot. It made more sense to Dib at least. The little alien hadn't stopped trying to conquer the planet since the moment he arrived. For him to take a vacation, well, it was more than a little out of character in Dib's mind. Still, he figured that he should at least play along. It would probably be easier to stop Zim's plans if Zim was under the impression that Dib was completely clueless.

Dib entered the large prison-like building he called high school and went over to his locker to drop off his lunch before class. He normally tried to eat the horrible meals that the cafeteria served, but today was ketchup and corn day, and Dib really didn't want to spend half of his day on the toilet. He sighed and mentally prepared himself for class. School would probably be insanely boring today. With Zim on his "vacation" he probably wouldn't come to school at all. He might be an evil alien, but at least Zim made things interesting.

Dib was just closing his locker, when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Good morning, Dib-monkey."

Dib wheeled around to find none other than Zim, in his usual disguise, grinning at him.

"What are you doing here Zim? I thought you were taking a vacation?"

Zim's grin widened, "I said I was taking a vacation from destroying your planet, Dib, not that I wouldn't be coming to school. School provides Zim with valuable information about your species Dib-filth, so he can't afford to get kicked out. Did you think that I would just disappear from school for a few weeks? Besides, vacations are about being entertained; I find there is nothing more amusing on this planet than you humans."

Dib glowered at the alien, "Fine Zim, it's not like I can stop you from coming to school." The first bell went off, deafening them temporarily. "Come on," Dib grumbled as soon as he could hear himself speak, "We're going to be late for class."

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><p>Morning classes were, for the most part, normal. Dib and Zim kept to themselves, with none of their usual outbursts. Their classmates weren't overly concerned with the sudden change in behavior. No one really considered Dib or Zim to be dangerous – most believed they were just looking for attention or were completely off their rockers. Everyone, teachers and students alike, found the two boys to be extremely annoying.<p>

It was at lunchtime that again things took a turn for the strange.

Dib normally sat alone at lunch. His sister had long since stopped associating with her older brother, finding his obsession with Zim unbearably annoying. Dib had never had any friends, so that left him with an empty table every day. He usually sat in the back so he could keep a close eye on Zim. So as usual, Dib took his seat, got out his food, and scanned the room to look for the alien. Only to see said alien making his way over to where Dib was sitting.

Zim waved and took a seat opposite to him, "How are you enjoying your Earth nutrients this fine day, Dib-stink?"

Dib sighed and put his head in his hands, "What now Zim? Or are you just planning on verbally tormenting me for the whole duration of this truce?"

Zim laughed, "While that's not a bad idea, Dib, that was not what I had in mind. I have nothing better to do, and you are the only human I know of that is remotely worth speaking to. So here Zim is."

Dib looked at Zim, confused, "Wait, so you just want to talk to me? You know we're enemies, right? Enemies don't usually sit down and chat with each other." Dib had no idea whether Zim actually knew this or not. The alien came to the strangest conclusions about human culture sometimes.

"Dib-stink, you are surprisingly forgetful today," Zim said exasperatedly, "Remember the truce human? So long as it is in effect we are not technically enemies. And as I said, you are the only human worth spending time with. The Gaz-beast is also aware of my identity but she is….far too scary for me to approach." Zim shuddered, as though the mere thought of walking up to Dib's sister and addressing her filled him with terror. Dib wouldn't be surprised if this was the case – Gaz had become so terrifying over the years that just thinking about bothering her gave him cold sweats. "Zim does not want to waste his magnificent words on the stupid blind humans; he would much rather converse with the Dib."

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment," said Dib dryly. "So, Zim, now that we're apparently not enemies, what did you have in mind as a conversation topic?"

"I want to talk about you, Dib."

"What about in particular, Zim? You probably know me better than my own family." Not that that was hard, thought Dib. His family didn't know him that well at all – they never cared enough to.

"I was wondering why you have no friends, Dib. You are the only human that I've ever seen that always seems to be alone. Why is that? You humans seem to have an innate need for companionship; even the most hideous rejects of your societies at least have each other. Zim has no friends because he is a superior Irken soldier. Why do you have no friends, Dib-thing?"

Zim's tone indicated that he was genuinely curious. That just made it worse. Dib knew why he didn't have a single friend. Everyone thought he was insane. No one wanted to be friends with the crazy kid. Dib clenched his jaw and ground his teeth together, trying to keep all of the negative emotions bottled up. It just wasn't fair. All he ever did was tell the truth and try to help people. What did he get in return? He got to be alone. Always alone.

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><p>Please review? Pretty please with virtual sugar and virtual cherries on top? I'm doing my very best to write quickly but well *nods*<p>

Note: I have updated chapters 1-3 with some small edits. It was brought to my attention by the marvelous Elvis-Stitch that I have been having Zim referring to himself in the third person way too much. I appreciate any constructive criticism such as this. This is my first real fanfiction after all, and I'd like to have it be a good one. Virtual cookies for Elvis-Stitch for the helpful review! =D


	4. Chapter 4

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Dib did his best shove those feelings back down into the crevices of his mind and to collect himself. He couldn't let himself break down. Not now, not in front of Zim. Dib had no idea whether Zim had intended to upset him or not, but it didn't really matter to him. What mattered was saving face. There was no way he would give Zim the satisfaction of seeing him feeling sadness.

Dib stood up and shoved his chair back from the table, all in one swift motion.

"I'm done Zim. I'll see you in class."

Zim looked at Dib's half-eaten sandwich and looked back at Dib, a puzzled expression on his face, "Do you not need to eat your earthen foods, Dib? I was under the impression that humans needed regular feedings, one of which usually occurs during this time period."

Dib replied, "I'm not hungry," in a monotone and started walking away from the table.

Zim watched Dib depart and said nothing. Zim, being Zim, shrugged and thought little of Dib's odd behavior. The Dib human was probably having one of those mood swing things he had read about. Zim's research showed that this was normal for worm-babies of Dib's age group.

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><p>Dib said nothing to his classmates for the rest of the day. He did his best to keep his expressions neutral as his mind boiled over with unpleasant thoughts and feelings. The minute the final bell rang, Dib was out of his seat and out the door. He ignored the teacher blathering on about some new assignment – he didn't care <em>that <em>much about school. His mind was elsewhere, going over and over the same terrible questions.

Why didn't he have any friends? Dib thought to himself as he exited the school and started on the long trek home. Why couldn't he make any? What was could be so wrong with him that he alienated everyone around him? Dib saw a rock in his path and vented his frustrations on it with his foot, sending it flying. Zim was right, Dib was loath to admit; the rejects in the corner at least had each other. But he didn't fit in with them either. He'd probably be better off, Dib thought bitterly, if he was just as blind and stupid as everyone else.

There was nothing he could do with this train of thought. Dib couldn't change that fundamental part of who he was. Thinking about those kinds of what ifs too much would only make him crazy. Dib's overtaxed mind turned instead to thinking about the future. The future when Dib finally got the rest of humanity to believe him.

So lost was Dib in his thoughts that he failed to notice the group of people trailing not so subtly behind him. Chunk, along with a number of other boys, had seen Dib walking slowly with an absentminded expression on his face and saw an opportunity to get a little extra spending money. Everyone in his year knew that Dib was the son of the extremely famous and successful scientist Dr. Membrane. This being the case, Chunk and his gang assumed that Dib was probably loaded. And, as an added bonus, no one would care if they stole from Dib. Heck, Chunk, the ring leader, thought they could probably get away with just about anything considering that this was Dib. Chunk knew this from first hand experience - he had been bullying Dib regularly since elementary school without ever getting in trouble for it. He grinned nastily; he was actually hoping that Dib would try to resist, something to give him an excuse to beat the crap out of Dib. His friends were more in this for the money. Chunk, on the other hand, wanted the pleasure of seeing Dib physically suffer at his hands.

Dib, daydreaming and paying little heed to his surroundings, didn't notice the group advancing until they were upon him.

Chunk cut him off while the other boys formed a loose circle around him. Dib had no way out. Chunk, casting a considerably large shadow on Dib, was the first to speak.

"Dib."

Dib was now fully alert and aware of the fact that something very unpleasant was likely to happen to him shortly.

"What do you want, Chunk?" Dib's tone was cautious. He was probably going to get hurt, but bruises and wedgies were definitely preferable to broken bones. It would be better to avoid provoking his attackers if he could.

Chunk smiled and put his hand out towards Dib. "That's easy," he said with mock politeness, "If you wouldn't mind handing over all of your money, you'll be good to go."

Dib reached into his trench coat pocket, pulled out all of the money he had, and placed it in Chunk's outstretched hand.

Chunk looked at what was in his hand and scowled, "Five dollars and two cents? That's it? You're holding out on me Dib." The other boys nodded in agreement, one of them yelling out an angry "yeah!" for emphasis.

Dib nervously tried to take a step backward, almost bumped into the boy standing behind him, and hurriedly resumed his original position. This wasn't going well. "Look," Dib pleaded, "that's all I have. My dad forgets to give me spending money most of the time. When he remembers, he tends to give most of it to Gaz. He thinks that I'm too crazy to responsibly handle more than a little money."

"That's no good Dib," Chunk shaking his head in disappointment. "Here we all were expecting you'd be rolling in it. You'll have to do better next time." Without warning, he punched Dib squarely in the jaw. "That is, if you want to keep all your teeth."

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><p>I'm ending the chapter on a cliffhanger, muahahaha, now you'll have to wait for chapter 5 to know what happens to Dib. But don't worry, I'm writing a little every day, so the next update won't be too long from now. Hope you all are enjoying the fic so far, reviews are appreciated. No flaming please.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Time seemed to speed up. Dib flew backwards with the force of Chunk's punch. Reeling, he tried to gather himself to run away, only to have a foot slammed into his back. Surrounded and unable to get away, Dib curled himself into a ball to try and lessen the damage. He covered the back of his head with his hands, squeezed his eyelids together as tightly as he could, and flattened his face against his knees, hoping it would be enough to at least keep his glasses from getting smashed. His breath came in short gasps as the blows rained down upon him.

Then just as suddenly as it began the beating stopped. Dib heard someone yelling and risked raising his head a fraction so he could see what was happening. Chunk was on his knees, clutching his now bleeding face. Standing protectively in front of him was the last person Dib would ever expect to come to his rescue.

"Keep your filthy putrid hands off of him!" shouted Zim, "Dib is mine you hear? I will be the one to destroy him, not you miserable pathetic worms! Get away from him or face the wrath of the mighty Zim!" Zim added a maniacal cackle for emphasis.

Chunk moaned and whimpered as blood streamed out of the long gashes on his face. The rest of boys were warily backing away from Zim and Dib. The plan had been to score some easy money off of Dib, not to get attacked by the crazy kid with the skin disorder. One glance at Chunk's face told them all they needed know. A hasty retreat was in order – staying would be much too risky. Who knew what Zim would do next? They were dealing with the most unpredictable person in the entire high school. It would probably be best to get away while they still could.

"Come on, let's get out of here," one boy said. Murmurs of agreement went through the group. Chunk, his tears now freely mixing the blood on his face, was too far gone into shock to stand on his own. Two of the others yanked him to his feet. He complied as his gang dragged him as fast as they could away from Zim and Dib.

Dib watched as his tormentors got further and further away until they rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Satisfied that they were not coming back just this second, Dib tried to stand. The ground seemed to be spinning around him. Dib tried not to vomit. Probably a good thing he didn't finish his lunch, he thought absentmindedly, as he waited for the street to resume its normal, stationary appearance.

"Are you alright, Dib-human?" came Zim's voice, sounding…concerned? Zim had turned towards Dib and was watching him closely. Blood, Chunk's blood thought Dib in satisfaction, was dripping slowly from one three-fingered hand.

The nausea was dying down and everything looked normal again. Good. Dib waited for his breathing and his heart rate to return to almost normal before he spoke.

"I'm fine Zim," he said. He frowned, that came out a lot shakier and more pathetic than he would have liked. He grimaced as his body throbbed and burned where he'd been hit.

"Dib, I saw you being repeatedly struck by those other humans," Zim said bluntly, "There is no way that you have not suffered any bodily harm."

Dib scowled and winced as the expression made his jaw hurt more acutely, "I'm good enough, Zim, I didn't need your help."

Zim scoffed, "Help? You? Phsssh. I wasn't _helping_ you, Dib-stink. Were your ears injured as well? I was protecting my right to your destruction. You are _my_ adversary, and when you face your utter doom, it will be Zim who is doing the dooming. I can't let your horrible fellow pig-smellies destroy you while I'm just taking a vacation now can I?"

Zim was hoping Dib would buy it. Of course he couldn't let Dib be destroyed. Dib was almost at this point, as the humans might say, his raison d'être. He didn't have a mission. Sure, he would take over the planet eventually, but what really kept him going was Dib. He needed Dib. Dib was the only person on the whole planet that mattered to him. Coming from a violent and combat-based species, Zim loved having a foe to stand against him. The humans would be far too easy to defeat were it not for Dib protecting them. And even when he and Dib were not engaged in combat, Zim still enjoyed their intellectual battles. There was nothing else left in his life that he treasured as much as his time with Dib.

Dib blinked. That was so like Zim, to save him only so he could kill Dib another day. Of course Zim would never think of the logical solution, to let Dib be killed by someone else so he'd be out of the way. Zim could be so _stupid_ sometimes. Still, Dib thought, it sort of made sense, considering it was Zim. Dib had foiled Zim's precious plans so many times over the years that Zim probably had some horrible death in mind for him.

"Well then," Dib said as steadily as he could, "If you're not planning on destroying me today, I'm going home." He turned and started to slowly limp in the direction of his house.

"Wait," Dib stopped.

"What?"

"Those humans might be waiting at your house, Dib, to ambush you. Come with Zim, to my base. They won't be expecting _that_."

"Right," said Dib, "and you would care why?"

Zim sighed "Stupid monkey, I told you already that Zim and only Zim will destroy you. That means that I don't want any of your idiotic classmates to get to you first. The truce is still in effect, so I won't be destroying you tonight. And Dib, you look much too injured to try anything obnoxious. If you do, I can easily crush you. You can stay on my couch."

Dib thought about it. He could go to the alien's base and risk being murdered in his sleep, or he could go home. If he went home, Zim was right, he might be ambushed. Plus there was always the possibility that Gaz would kill him in his sleep. The real question was, who did he trust more?

"Alright, I'll go."

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><p>Sorry for how long it took to put up this chapter. I've had a really rough time lately with things going horribly wrong. I got hit by a car, had my power go out for 24 hours, got a cold...it's been not so good. But here it is, chapter 5! I hope everyone had a happy Halloween! (for those who celebrate it)<p>

Anyways, here's where I put in my usual request for reviews. Please review! Constructive criticism is always appreciated, but no flames please.


	6. Chapter 6

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

The walk to Zim's base was agonizing, for both Zim and Dib. In Dib's case, the agony was quite literal. His body had taken quite a beating and every step he took reminded him of that fact. Zim, on the other hand, had to suffer through the annoyance of slowing his normal swift march down to what he considered to be a snail's pace. And even with that, he was still going faster than Dib. Every so often he'd be forced to come to a complete stop to wait for Dib to catch up. It was infuriating. If he wasn't so concerned for the human's safety, he would have already gone ahead alone to his base to wait for Dib from the comfort of his base. Zim could be fiddling with one of his experiments right now. However, it would most certainly defeat the purpose of his offer if Zim left Dib and Dib ended up being attacked on his way to Zim's base. Things being as they were, Zim would do his best to suffer though this horribly _slow_ walk. For the Dib's sake.

Finally, the men's restroom door marking the entrance to his home was in sight. Zim marched ahead of Dib and stood in front of his door, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for Dib to make it up the side walk.

"Come on Dib-human," Zim barked, "If you walk any slower you're going to have those flying rat-things landing on your abnormally large head."

"They're called birds you moron," Dib said, glaring, "And I'm walking as fast as I can. You wouldn't be walking any faster if you were in my shoes."

"Nonsense, Zim would never put his superior feet in your filthy smelly shoes, Dib-beast. And I've seen slugs that move faster than you." Zim opened the door for Dib as he made it to the landing.

Dib sighed, "It's an expression Zim," he said as he walked through the doorway. "How have you managed to live here for all these years and not improve your English?"

Zim followed and closed the door. He gestured to the couch with one three-fingered hand. "I have no idea what you are talking about Dib-filth. I speak your language perfectly."

Dib chose not to respond. No point in starting an argument that he couldn't win. He'd pointed out how horrible Zim's English was numerous times over the years to no avail. This was _Zim_ he was dealing with, after all. The alien thought that everything he did, he did perfectly, no matter how bad at something he really was. And besides, Zim was letting him hide at his base. Pissing him off now probably wouldn't be the smartest idea.

Zim spoke as Dib gently eased himself onto the couch. "Wait here, Dib. I'll be right back."

Dib narrowed his amber-colored eyes with mild suspicion, "Where are you going Zim?" he said, trying to sound normal – a difficult task, considering how much pain he was in. He felt anything but normal after what he'd been through. His mind and his body were both a wreck. His brain was still trying to process all that had happened that afternoon. Of course, he couldn't let Zim know that.

"I'll going to retrieve some medical supplies from downstairs. Your pained noises are irritating, and I don't want to hear them all night."

"Hey!" Dib said indignantly. He was so not making any noises. Zim ignored him. He looked around his base and narrowed his eyes, "GIR!" he bellowed.

The small silver robot flew out of the oven, his eyes and chest glowing red. He landed directly in front of his master and stood at attention.

"Yes, sir!" came the voice of defective SIR unit. Zim glared down at his slave, his irritation palpable in his fake purple irises.

"GIR, you are to stay here and watch the Dib-human while I go downstairs. Make sure he doesn't try anything stupid. Do you understand?"

GIR's eyes turned cyan "Noooo," he said. Zim slapped his hand over his eyes in frustration. That moronic robot could never follow the simplest of orders. The hand fell back down to his side. He grinned.

"Say GIR," Zim said in falsely sweet tones, "I think Dib's hungry. Could you make him something?"

The eyes turned briefly red again, "I obey!" GIR shouted. His eyes returned to their usual color.

"I'm making muffins!" GIR screamed as he ran back into the kitchen. Maniacal high pitched laughter followed.

Dib's eyes widened. "What have you done you horrible alien scum?" he said in slight terror. He'd been witness to GIR's insane cooking sprees. The waffle incident was something he would rather forget, but it had been seared into his mind. Watching Zim vomit up of all those piles and piles of waffles…He shuddered. He would never forget that day. "Is anything that robot makes even safe to eat?"

Zim smiled evilly, "I guess you'll find out." He turned and marched over to the trashcan. "Oh and by the way, if you don't eat what he makes, GIR will probably cry and make horrible screeching sounds unlike anything your inferior human _ears_ have ever heard before. Just a friendly warning, you know. Be back soon."

With that Zim stepped into the trashcan and disappeared into the depths of his base.

"Get back here you slime!" Dib's voice echoed down the elevator shaft. Zim smiled when the voice reached his antennae. It was good to hear Dib sounding more like himself.

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><p>Hey guys, new chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! Just as a note, I'm sorry the chapters are so short. I just figured it would be easier for me to manage frequent updates with slightly shorter chapters. When the story is done, I might reorganize the chapters into fewer, longer chapters, but for now the format is going to stay short.<p>

Anyways, here's my usual request for reviews. I love reviews. Just not flames. Constructive criticism is appreciated, so are words of kindness! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far! :)


	7. Chapter 7

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

A short while later Zim returned to the upper level of his base, arms laden with jars full of brightly colored gels. He carefully placed the medicines on his kitchen table and walked into the other room to see what had become of Dib while he was gone. There on the couch, right where he had left the human, was a giant pile of muffins. Dib's legs and boots could be seen sticking out from under the pile. GIR was dancing around the mound with a basket of even more muffins, every so often throwing yet another muffin onto the growing heap. Zim exploded with laughter.

"Shut up," came a muffled voice from the muffin mountain.

Zim wiped the moisture from his eyes. It was just too good. Still chuckling, he called out to his robot slave. "GIR, I think he's had enough to eat."

GIR turned around, realizing his master was back. He stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth, "Awwww" he said, "Yous sure?"

"Yes GIR," Zim tried to contain his laughter, "Why don't you go watch downstairs and watch some tv? You can use the wall of screens if you like." GIR shrieked, running off towards the hidden elevator. As soon as he was out of sight, Zim turned to address the muffins. "That should keep him busy for a while at least."

Dib's strained voice called out from under the pastries, "Could I get a little help then? I can't move."

Zim walked over and helped Dib shift the majority of the muffins off of his body. Once he was free, Dib used his remaining energy to glare at Zim with the most hateful expression he could muster.

"Look at the bright side," Zim said, walking over to the table where he had placed the jars. "At least he didn't make you eat them."

Dib continued to glare. "You are an evil, evil alien Zim."

Zim flipped a hand in a gesture of dismissal, "Yes, yes I know. Zim is amazing. Now get over here Dib. The computer can't clean up the mess with you sitting in it, and I refuse to treat your injuries in the midst of those disgusting muffin things."

Dib slowly got up and walked over to where Zim was standing. He shot the alien one last dirty look before taking a seat. Zim scratched his wig, ignoring the human's irritation. His disguise was so _itchy_. Zim's furious scratching did not go unnoticed by Dib.

"Zim," he said, "I'm going to be here all night. I've seen you many times without your stupid disguise already. It's not like I have a camera on me. And our truce is still in effect. I'm not going to be the one to break it. Why don't you take off the costume?"

Zim thought about it. "You have a point, stink-beast. Just know that if you try and take advantage of the situation Dib, I won't hesitate to gut you." With much relief, Zim removed the lenses and wig that were causing him so much discomfort and held them out for his computer to take away. The mechanical arms that popped out of the walls grabbed his props from him and withdrew once more.

"Now," Zim said "Getting back to the task at hand - making you a little less annoying. Take your jacket and shirt off."

Dib's face turned crimson, "What?" he said, his voice squeaking. "There's no way that I'm taking my shirt off for you, Zim. Why should I?"

"With that gargantuan head of yours, you should be able to figure it out Dib. Most of the injuries you sustained were to your back and face, yes?" Dib nodded. "Your face I can treat easily right now, but your back is going to be impossible unless you take off the clothes. Unless you were under the impression that I was going to magically put medicine on your back _through_ your clothes?" Zim said sarcastically.

"Fine," Dib said, removing the offending jacket and shirt, his face bright red with embarrassment. "And my head's not big" he protested under his breath. Not that it ever did any good.

Zim picked up a jar from the table. The mess inside the jar was bright pink. He put on an extra pair of gloves and stuck a hand in the jar. "Hold still," said Zim. Dib remained as motionless as possible, although he couldn't help a slight flinch at the touch of the cool gel on his aching back. He did his best to suppress his fears that the alien was trying to kill him with some sort of poisonous goop. If Zim was going to kill him, Dib reasoned, it wouldn't be something as subtle as that. Zim was always amazingly obvious when he was up to no good. Yet another reason why it was so extraordinary that he was the only one in his class that knew Zim was an alien.

"What's in the jar exactly?" Dib asked, slightly afraid but also genuinely curious. He had pretty much mastered the Irken alphabet from reading files he'd hacked from Zim's computer, but he didn't know what the words on the jar in Zim's hand meant.

"It's an analgesic. Far superior to anything you humans have manufactured." Zim said, turning Dib's face toward him. He grabbed some more goo and smeared it onto Dib's jaw. Dib could feel the pain already receding in his back. "There," Zim putting the jar down and picking up another. "Before you ask, this is a chemical aimed to speed the healing process. With this, you should be back to almost normal by morning."

Dib remained still and silent as Zim applied the violet colored slime to his back. The alien's actions were puzzling him. He was grateful for all the help he was receiving from Zim, but the question remained, why was Zim doing all this? If he just wanted Dib alive, why go to the trouble of treating his injuries? Didn't Zim hate him?

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><p>Woot! Two chapters in two days! The creative juice is really flowing. Anyways, as always I beseech you to review please! I adore reviews! ^^<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

"There, all done," Zim said, screwing the cap back onto the jar in his hand. "You can put your clothes back on now Dib-stink." Zim walked over to the kitchen counter and turned his head back towards the human. He smirked, "That is, unless you like being half-naked in my presence." Dib's face, which had just recovered its normal, pale hue, flushed crimson once more. Dib pulled his trademark blue shirt back over his head with record speed. The gooey medicines were still wet on his back. His shirt would probably end up stained, but it didn't really matter. He had dozens of identical shirts back at home.

Dib glared daggers at the back of Zim's head. Stupid alien, did he even realize what he was insinuating? He watched as Zim, muttering things like "human filth" and "disgusting" removed his second layer of gloves and dumped them in what Dib could only assume was some sort of garbage vent underneath the kitchen counter. Probably not, but Dib was never sure.

"Alright," said Zim nonchalantly, ignoring the slightly indignant look on Dib's face as he went back to where the human was sitting. Zim glanced over at his previously muffin-covered couch. "The base has finished cleaning up the disgusting mess that GIR made on the couch. You're welcome to sit there and do whatever assignments you have for school or use the television. Try not to get your human _filth_ all over my base Dib."

Dib, in his rush to get the heck out of school, had neglected to bring any of his books with him. That left him with Zim's gigantic television. Not the worst way to spend an evening. Dib nodded his head at Zim and carefully extracted himself from the hard kitchen chair. The medicines were working, but his injuries wouldn't be fully healed for some time yet - best to be cautious until they were.

Settled on the purple sofa once more, Dib flipped on the mind-erasing device – also known as a television – to some random channel. A cartoon appeared on the screen, featuring a cat and a rodent as the main characters. Dib watched idly as the characters violently demolished each other, only to bounce back in a couple of seconds. If only life were this simple.

Zim silently slid onto the other end of the couch to join Dib in his tv-watching. Irk he hated that wretched machine, but there was no way he was leaving Dib in his base unsupervised. Even with the "truce" Dib claimed to be sticking to, he wouldn't trust the human not to try something if left alone for long enough.

Magenta eyes fixed themselves on the screen. If he could just put up with this garbage for a while, the human would eventually require a sleep cycle. After that he wouldn't have to concern himself with watching Dib as carefully. Just a bit longer…

"How do you humans watch this, this _filth_?" Zim exclaimed loudly, one claw extended towards the blaring television.

Dib rolled his eyes. It was too much to hope that Zim would make it more than half an hour without some sort of outburst. "It's a cartoon Zim. Humans watch them for entertainment. They're supposed to be funny."

Zim's antennae twitched in irritation, "I am quite aware of _what_ it is, Dib-monkey. What I don't understand is how you can stand to watch this nonsensical broadcast. Look at it! Those earth monsters are practically killing each other! And yet they won't die! There aren't even any wounds! It's utter garbage, that's what it is. Don't you make any programs where things that are killed _stay dead_?"

"Well yeah," Dib said, picking up the remote, "Give me a second, I'll find one." Flicking through the seemingly endless stream of channels, he found what he was looking for. Eerie music filled the room. Moments later the titles, in bright red lettering, flashed across the dark screen.

"Jason in High school?" said Zim uncertainly. "Are you sure this is what you wanted to show Zim, Dib-stink? What is this?"

"Just watch."

The alien quieted down, turning his attention to the screen. The movie introduced a group of unruly teenagers who were planning to break into their high school later that night and have a small party. There would be games, music, alcohol…

"This is ridiculous," Zim interjected, "Why would those humans be breaking _into_ their high school? From all I have observed normal humans of that age desperately want to get _out_ of school. This is just as nonsensical-"

Dib interrupted Zim's tirade,"Shhh, keep watching." Zim grumbled, but fell silent as soon he saw what was happening in the film.

While Zim was ranting, one of the teenagers in the film, a gangly pimpled boy, had left the party, and was drunkenly making his way towards the restroom. Without warning, a gloved hand pulled him around the corner. Before he could make a noise to alert the others, the boy was speared through the chest with a machete.

Zim cackled maniacally, "That's what I was talking about!" he cried gleefully as the character on the screen slumped over in a spray of blood, clearly dead.

The two watched as all but one of the teenagers were murdered in various bloody and horrible ways. Each time someone died, Zim would break out into hysterical laughter. After the first couple of deaths, Dib found himself joining Zim, chuckling loudly each time a person was murdered. He hated his high school and all of its inhabitants, most of whom tormented him on a daily basis. Seeing fictional versions of his peers getting slaughtered was almost cathartic, since he would never want his real peers, with the exception of a few, to die. Those special few could get run over an eighteen-wheeler for all he cared.

The movie ended with the pretty, blond actress drowning her attacker in the school pool. Dib was almost sad to see it end. That was the most fun he'd had in a long time.

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><p>Please don't murder me, *cowers and begs for forgiveness* I'm sorry I took so long to update. School's been insane. If you're not too mad at me for being an evil slow-poke, review please? Extra virtual cookies for those who do.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

Note: the italicized section in this chapter is used to indicate dreaming

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

"That was entertaining," said Zim as the credits played across the screen. "It's too bad the blonde female human was the victor. I think the knife-wielding one should have won; he was much more amusing than the others."

"Yeah well, that's not the way horror movies work," Dib replied. "One of the good guys always has to survive. Not that there's any guarantee that that girl was a good person. It's just that the viewers would generally prefer the normal person to live, rather than the killer."

"What about you, Dib? What would you have preferred?"

Dib looked mildly pensive, "I guess I would have preferred Jason to win. I mean, he's so much cooler than some random high school girl."

Zim nodded, not overly surprised by Dib's answer. He was well aware of the Dib-human's loathing for his peers. The fact that the high school age humans in the film resembled them had not escaped him. Zim got up and stretched, stiff from sitting for so long in one place. He turned to face the still sitting human.

"Well, since you haven't seemed to be too interested in completing school work, I propose we watch another movie. Preferably something in which lots and lots of humans die."

"Sure, why not." It wasn't the worst idea Zim had ever had. Oh no, Dib could think of much, much stupider things Zim had dreamt up in that crazy little mechanical brain of his. This, in comparison, seemed like a stroke of genius. "Look, they're playing an advertisement for the next movie on this channel. You'll like this, it's a zombie movie. They always kill off loads of people in those."

"Excellent. Let the movie watching begin!" Zim shouted at the top of his lungs. Dib winced, why did Zim have to do that? He probably had permanent hearing damage at this point from all the close range yelling Zim had subjected him to over the years. Sighing for the umpteenth time, Dib returned his attention to the television to watch the fictional carnage unfold.

One movie rolled right into the next. As the night wore on, Dib found himself having more and more difficulty keeping his eyelids from pressing together. Reality and dreams melted into each other as Dib lost his grip on consciousness. Finally, Dib gave up the battle for wakefulness and fell into a deep sleep, head nuzzled into his shoulder.

Zim looked over at the sleeping boy and sighed. Humans were so defenseless in their sleep. The Dib was fortunate that Zim had no intention of truly harming him. Zim's antennae twitched as the pitter-patter of little feet alerted him to the return of his insane SIR unit. For once, the robot was silent. Then, in the softest whisper he'd ever heard GIR use, he asked, "Master, are you and big-head boy friends?"

Zim remained silent. He didn't know the answer.

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><p><em>Dib was back in school, sitting at his old desk. Mrs. Bitters stood at the front of the room, prattling on and on about doom. The universe was doomed, the puppy outside the classroom window was doomed…they were all doomed. This was nothing new. He'd heard this speech dozens of times over the school year with Mrs. Bitters as his teacher. He propped his head up with a hand, resigning himself to daydreaming until the bell rang. Mrs. Bitters' voice faded from his ears. He looked up, only to see her drifting further and further away from him, into the infinitely large classroom. <em>

_A voice he recognized immediately registered on his right. Zita. That horrible girl, she always had to spur on the rest of his classmates. "Crazy" said the voice to his right. Suddenly it seemed like his desk was the center of the room. "Crazy" said the voices all around him. His classmates, all of them, were circling, his desk. "Freak", "Weirdo", "Crazy" said the children, laughing and jeering. One of them, he couldn't tell which, smacked the back of his head from behind. The laughter increased in intensity. He couldn't take this, he had to get away. _

_And suddenly he was no longer an 11 year old boy, sitting in his desk, surrounded by bullies he couldn't take on. He was 16, bigger and stronger than his persecutors. He could fight back. Zita appeared in front of him once more. Dib kicked out at her, sending her flying backwards. Her head collided with a nearby desk accompanied by a sickening cracking noise. She slumped to the floor, her eyes wide open. The eyes that stared at him were dead and empty. _

"_No" said Dib, staring at the lifeless girl in horror, "I didn't mean to kill her. I'm not a bad person."_

_The other children were gone. The only things that remained in the room were Dib and Zita's corpse._

_A door appeared in front of him and in walked Dib's father and sister. Professor Membrane shook his head, "I knew you would do something like this eventually, Dib. There was always something wrong with you."_

"_No Dad," Dib pleaded, "It was an accident, really, I didn't mean it."_

_Gaz shoved him backwards onto the hard classroom floor. "Why'd I have to get a freak like you for a brother?" she growled. _

_Dib scrambled to get away from his family, hyperventilating. Everything was going so wrong. He had to escape. Somewhere, somewhere he could be safe. _

_Arms encircled him from behind. He froze. "You're mine, Dib", said Zim's smooth voice from behind him, "It's alright, you'll be safe with Zim." Dib's breathing returned to normal. Zim whispered his name, calming his frayed nerves. He relaxed, letting the familiar voice wash over him._

"_Dib…Dib…Dib-human" called Zim. The voice grew loud and impatient "Dib-stink!" it shouted in his ear._

Dib awoke with a start to find Zim's irritated face staring down at him.

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><p>New chapter! Let me know what you think, review are very much appreciated :)<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

"Dib, it is getting close to the start of school. You will not be making me late for classes with your pathetic need for sleep. Get off of my couch this instant!"

Dib blinked, trying to get his bearings. After a moment he replied, "Since when do you care about being late for school? You're late all the time."

"Exactly," Zim said, tapping his foot impatiently, "I have been late far too many times already. It is my understanding that these 'tardies' will eventually add up to some horrible doom, which I would like to avoid." He'd gotten wind of a few nasty rumors that detailed how chronically late students would be fed to the nest of mutated, flesh-eating rats living underneath the high school. Zim had also heard that, alternatively, students would have to sit through a detention with Mrs. Bitters, his demonic old teacher. He shuddered at the thought. He could take the rats, but if the real punishment was with Mrs. Bitters…he might not survive.

"We need to be leaving shortly. GIR cooked you some disgusting human breakfast food. I'm assuming your pitiful body is in need of nutrients, so go fill your belly full of whatever filth it is that he made." He gave Dib a small, wicked smile. "It _probably_ won't kill you."

Well that was reassuring, thought Dib, yawning and stretching his stiff limbs. His body felt completely recovered from his injuries. At least he'd be physically fit for GIR to poison him.

Dib glanced over towards the kitchen. From his vantage point, he couldn't really see what GIR was cooking on the stove. All he saw was the little SIR unit standing on a stool, holding a spatula in front of him. Hopefully the food was edible. Zim was right, he really needed to eat. Dib had barely eaten anything the day before, practically skipping both lunch and dinner.

Zim coughed and tapped a claw on his wrist, reminding Dib that time was limited. Dib got up quickly and speed walked over to the table. Almost as soon as he was seated GIR deposited a plate full of pancakes in front of him, dripping with syrup and butter. On the side were a few strips of bacon. Not exactly the healthiest of breakfasts, but Dib had never been the type to care about the nutritional value of what he ate. If it didn't kill him, it would do.

Zim's face took on an expression of utter horror and disgust as he watched Dib consume the pile of food in about a minute flat. He'd never seen anything, apart from GIR, eat like that. If this was what humans did when they were overly hungry, Zim would have to be sure to carry human foods in his base. He _never_ wanted to see Dib do that again.

Dib sighed contently as the last piece of bacon slid down to join the rest of the food in his stomach. The food might have been risky, but at least it was delicious. He looked at his watch, checking the time. They weren't late yet, but they'd better get going.

"If you're done" Zim made a small gagging noise, "_eating_, we ought to leave now. GIR!" The SIR unit jumped to attention, eyes glowing red. "Clean up this mess! The Dib and I must go to school. Be a good robot slave while I'm gone."

"Yes master!" The robot replied, before his eyes returned to their usual cyan color. "Pancakes!" GIR screamed, running around the kitchen and laughing hysterically.

Zim sighed and rubbed his temples.

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><p>The walk to school was uneventful. The two kept silent as they trudged their way towards the hated building. Dib's nerves were on edge. With everything that had happened yesterday, he didn't know what to expect. Would Zim be the next to attack him? That would make the most <em>sense<em>. But nothing seemed to make sense. The truce, Zim protecting him, and strangest of all, Zim taking care of him – what was going on? Dib didn't know what to believe. Worry and doubt ate away at him like an infection. The more time he spent with the alien, the more confused he felt.

Zim stayed silent, mind occupied with ways of fixing his irritating SIR unit. He'd tried so many times before. Locking him in duty mode always resulted in disaster. Maybe he could just remove the thing's voice box…

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><p>Dib and Zim were once more uncharacteristically silent throughout their morning classes. However, unlike the happy, relaxed atmosphere that permeated school the day before, today classes were quiet and tense. Every so often Dib would catch one of his classmates glaring at him or Zim, but no one spoke to either of them. By the time lunch rolled around, the tension in the air was palpable. Sensing the waves of hostility being directed towards them, the two stayed close together as they walked to the cafeteria.<p>

Right before they reached the double doors, a gang of people from their year, headed by Zita, cut them off.

"You freaks put Chunk in the hospital," Zita spat angrily. "He spent the night getting his face sewn back together."

Zim snarled back at her, "The filthy monster deserved worse! He should have known better to mess with me, Zim! Zim is the far superior being! You," he pointed at one boy in the crowd, "were there, you heard what I said. I destroy Dib! Anyone who gets in the way will face my wrath!"

The group murmured angrily at Zim's words. That was not the response they wanted to hear. They wanted fear, not defiance. Zita's face turned pink with fury. "We've put up with you two lunatics for long enough. You're the lowest of the low and you are going to learn your place if we have to beat you into it."

Dib lowered his head and clenched his hands at his sides, trying to hide the rage and pain caused by hearing those remarks. He hated these people. He had done so much for them, and yet they still thought of him as dirt. He should just let Zim kill them already.

Zim was the next to speak. He gave Zita a nasty grin, "Is that a challenge?"

At that moment, a teacher walked down the hallway towards the gathering, apparently for once noticing that something was going on in the school. Fearing detention, the crowd dispersed. One boy, however, paused before following the others into the cafeteria. "We'll get you later freaks," he hissed, then vanished behind the double doors.

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><p>New chapter! Hooray! Anyways, this is where I put in my usual begging for reviews. Please review! Reviews make authors very very happy *nods emphatically*<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

By the time the teacher arrived only Zim and Dib remained, lingering in the corridor. The teacher sighed and shooed the boys into the cafeteria. Even without knowing what had just been discussed, he could easily tell these two were not the aggressors in this case. His sudden moment of insight over, the teacher returned to his previous state of obliviousness, meandering down the hall to see if he could find something in the school that was actually edible. Maybe they would have donuts in the office today…

Dib kept silent, hands tightly gripping his tray as he waited in line to receive his daily portion of government-issued poison. Zim trailed along behind, face lined with concern, as Dib got his food and quickly stomped to the back of the cafeteria. Zim didn't even bother to pretend to get food - he'd long ago figured out that Dib was the only human who paid any real attention to his behavior. The others completely ignored Zim's quirks.

Dib slammed his tray down on the table and began stabbing at what looked like a piece of cheese covered broccoli with his fork. Zim sat down across from him and watched quietly as Dib furiously destroyed his food, not eating a bite, but rather reducing it to a pile of green and yellow gooey bits on his plate.

Troubling Zim was feeling that Dib was unusually distraught by their mutual confrontation with the pack of annoying humans. Zim cleared his throat noisily, trying to divert the human's attention from broccoli slaughter. Dib looked up, amber eyes fixated on the green face in front of him.

"Go on rub it in," Dib growled, "You can go right ahead and gloat all you want. I'm not stopping you. That's what you're dying to do right? Tell me how much of an inferior human worm-baby I am?"

"Stupid Dib-human, of course you're inferior to the amazingness that is Irken invader Zim! But," Zim pressed his lips together and cast his fake pupils downwards before continuing, "For an inferior human, I think that you are superior to the rest of your species." He shifted around in his seat uncomfortably, avoiding Dib's gaze.

The corners of Dib's mouth tweaked upwards in a small smile, recognizing the awkward compliment buried underneath the insult. "Thanks Zim."

Dib returned his gaze to the mess before him. The boiling energy that had filled him with Zita's words was slowly fading. He pushed some goop around on in a circle on his plate. He was the lowest of the low huh? Dib was starting to think that no matter what he did, no one would ever feel differently about him.

Dib gave up on his plate and stood up from the table. The bell rang, excusing his departure. Dib smiled to himself when his back was turned to Zim. At least one person thought he was worth something.

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><p>The rest of the day passed with alarming speed. Dib knew the fight was unavoidable. Yet for once in his life he found himself praying for the analogue clock on the wall to move slower. To no avail – time passed just as quickly as it always had. Before he knew it, the final bell was ringing. Dib stood up and cast his gaze over to the other side of the room where Zim, his current ally, was sitting, calming twirling a pencil between his claws. They nodded to each other and left the classroom as one.<p>

Waiting for them outside the school was a group much smaller than Dib had feared. At lunch he had estimated that they might be facing approximately 20 or so students. However, the group before them now numbered closer to 10. Most likely the others had chickened out at the prospect of a violent confrontation with the school lunatics.

Standing prominently in front of the gang was Zita. As Dib and Zim walked down the sidewalk, they were quickly surrounded by the others.

Zita leered at the boys, giggling madly. "I told you we'd get you, morons. Did you think leaving together would protect you? You just made it easier for us – two birds with one stone and all that." Her cohorts laughed, grinning maliciously at their targets.

Dib scanned his surroundings, seeing no openings whatsoever. There was no way to run. They'd have to fight. Dib looked over at his companion and watched as the alien purposefully glanced over at the nearest of their enemies and then jerked his head ever so slightly downwards. Now.

Before their opponents had a chance to react, Dib and Zim struck. Zim targeted the largest and most dangerous member of the group, Torque, with a swift front snap kick to the groin. As Torque was keeling over in agony, Dib was charging at Zita. It was clear from the start that she was the leader. If he took her out now, her followers might be disoriented long enough for the two of them to escape.

As he ran, Dib felt rage coursing through his veins. He was tired of feeling helpless to defend himself against the onslaught of physical and verbal abuse he received from his classmates on a daily basis. Finally he was going to fight back.

Zita's face barely had time to register surprise before it met with Dib's outstretched fist. The force of the impact sent her flying backwards, bashing her head against the ground and knocking her unconscious.

At this, the rest of the gang regained the ability to think. All those still standing, in other words all of the bullies minus Torque, rushed to see if Zita was alright.

Dib stood unmoving, outstretched fist throbbing, eyes vacant and unseeing. In his mind replayed over and over the dream. Dead eyes glared at him from his imagination. It was his fault, he was…all wrong.

"Dib!" Zim shouted, his voice laced with worry for the human. "Let's go, now!"

Dib jerked his head, dispelling the gruesome mental image. Now was not the time.

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><p>Hope you all had happy holidays! Here it comes it's...the request for reviews! dun dun dun XD Anyways, I love reviews, constructive criticism is awesome too *nods*. Thank you all for being so nice and supportive, to the people who have reviewed so far, you're amazing! *hugs*<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

It wasn't until they were nearly to Dib's house that the two boys risked pausing in their desperate flight. They stood, panting with exertion. Dib leaned against a nearby wall, trying to catch his breath. He looked back towards the school – no one had followed them. They were safe for now.

Dib's eyelids drooped. He was just so tired. The past few days had been insane, too many extreme things happening in such a short period of time. How could he have gone from protecting his fellow humans against Zim to attacking them alongside the alien? Of course he was quite aware of how small a chance it was that he would ever win over his moronic, ignorant fellow humans with evidence of Zim's true nature. But for years he had clung to that small possibility with the tenacity of superglue. He was human after all wasn't he? It was Dib's duty to keep fighting against his extraterrestrial arch-nemesis.

Yet then again there was always doubt behind his protective actions. Dib was alienated and outcast. Continually labeled as insane, abused and neglected, Dib had always felt like an outsider. These conflicting feelings of belonging and separation left him forever torn between wanting to fulfill his responsibility to humanity and wanting to give up and leave humanity to its doom. Recent events were only perpetuating the problem. He didn't know how he could continue to care about his supposed duties anymore. How was he supposed to feel when the closest thing to a friend he had ever had was said arch-nemesis?

"Dib," Zim said sharply, tearing him out of his thoughts. "You will tell me what is going on in that gigantic head of yours! Your emotions appear to be overly affecting your behavior lately. I need to make sure you're not going to do anything stupid and get yourself killed. I can't kill you if someone else does. Now, tell Zim what is the matter."

Dib sighed and placed a hand to his forehead, his head pounding with tension and irritation. He just wanted to go home. There were too many questions eating away at him and Zim wasn't helping the matter.

"Look Zim," he pleaded, "It's just been rough with all that's been happening lately. You've been acting kind of weird. I can't figure you out. And I've gotten into two major fights at school in as many days. I'm sorry I spaced out earlier, I've just never hit a classmate before."

Zim glared, "You've hit Zim."

"A human classmate," he amended, "You're an evil alien bent on destroying all humans remember? You don't count. I appreciate the…help you've given me Zim, but I can't help but be confused by how friendly you've been to me. I mean, just because you're not trying to destroy me right this second doesn't give you a reason to be _nice_."

Zim shook his head, and rolled his fake pupils in vexation, "Is that all?" Dib nodded. That was all he was going to share with Zim at least.

"You humans overanalyze everything. Zim does what he feels like. I'll be crushing you soon enough Dib-stink; enjoy my companionship while it lasts. Go rest your huge filthy head and stop worrying."

Dib nodded again as though that cleared everything up. Let Zim think he had resolved everything; there was no point in sharing _all _his thoughts. Zim couldn't really understand anyhow.

"Alright," Dib said wearily, "I'm going to go home now. I'll…see you tomorrow at school, I guess." He waved a hand goodbye and trudged off in the direction of home. Zim stared after him. He desperately hoped his favorite human had not contracted the brain worms.

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><p>"I'm home!" Dib called as he opened his front door. He didn't expect a reply, but it was soothing to imagine that someone in his family cared whether he was around or not. Well, that wasn't quite right. Gaz did care. She just would prefer he was <em>not<em> around.

Silence was all that greeted him. Dib sighed, dropped his backpack near the door, and walked into the kitchen. Meals were fairly relaxed with his family. As long as he didn't eat something Gaz had in reserve, he could just help himself whenever he was hungry.

Opening the fridge, Dib wisely skipped over the box of leftover pizza and found himself a sandwich. Absentmindedly munching on the food in his hand, he deserted the kitchen and went up to his bedroom. Dib really didn't feel like doing his homework, so he opened up his laptop and checked his favorite paranormal sites for updates instead. With his sandwich devoured and nothing particularly interesting on the internet to distract himself with, Dib shut his computer once more. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, trying to find some sort of resolution to the uncertainties and questions plaguing him.

In terms of his classmates, he would put those conflicting feelings on the backburner for now. There was no easy to resolve them, and the more he thought about his fellow humans, the people he tried so hard to protect, the more hurt and confused he felt. It would be best for his mental well-being to put that issue aside.

And then there was Zim. What to do about the alien? It was just like he had told Zim – Dib couldn't figure the little Irken out. And as long as the truce was in effect, the only actions Dib could take were to keep an eye on Zim and to wait for the alien to make a move. It was driving him insane – more insane than usual that is.

Maybe Zim was right for once. There was no real point in stressing over what was going on with the alien. Zim would do what he felt like, just as he always had. Dib should just sit back and enjoy the alien's kindness and relative docility while it lasted.

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><p>Another chapter! XD Thank you once again for the wonderful reviews on the last chapter! As always, I request more reviews, I love getting feedback.<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

The next day dawned and it was with great apprehension that Dib approached his high school. High school had never been a happy or relaxing place for Dib, but he had never been quite as afraid for his physical safety as he was now. Would there be an ambush waiting for him outside the school? Dib didn't know if his peers would be able to organize another assault on him so quickly after yesterday's failed attempt, but he thought it best to err on the side of caution. As such, Dib would have to be doubly vigilant until he was sure that he was no longer in imminent danger.

Dib passed through the entrance to school without incident. The majority of the students were already inside the much hated building. Those who lingered on the grounds completely ignored Dib.

Not willing to let his guard down yet, he carefully observed the students milling about the hallways, searching for any signs of hostility. Dib looked over at some classmates standing in front of their lockers and chatting. He tensed, preparing himself for the expected barrage of verbal taunts and the possibility of a physical attack. To his utter surprise, his classmates spotted him and merely paused in their conversation to momentarily stare at him. This was unexpected. On a normal day he would usually at least get some of them shouting "freak" or "crazy" at him and sniggering.

The wide-eyed look Dib's peers gave him was something he'd never before seen directed at himself. He'd been looked at with pity, with hatred, and disgust. The expression adorning his peers' faces, however, almost looked like…fear. Dib edged closer to the group, trying to confirm his suspicions. As he neared the teens ceased talking and not-so-subtly huddled together for protection.

Dib halted in his tracks, still a good distance from the bunch. Having proved his theory, there was no need for him to get any closer to the frightened idiots. A wicked grin bloomed across Dib's face. He chuckled, softly at first, then louder. His peers inched away from him as Dib stood, clutching his stomach as he laughed wildly in the middle of the hallway.

When he came back to himself, his classmates had already gone - fled for the supposed safety of their classroom. Dib wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to compose himself. What a funny turn of events. He had come to school terrified that he was going to be beaten to a pulp. Now it seemed as though his tormentors had somehow overnight come to fear _him_. Maybe now he could escape some of the bullying.

Noticing that the halls were almost completely empty, Dib glanced down at his watch. Crap, he thought, he was about to be late. All that hysterical laughing took up a lot of time. Dib sprinted towards his homeroom, swung open the door, and took his seat as fast as he could. Just as he settled into his chair, the second bell rang. Panting, Dib rested his head on his desk, waiting for the teacher to call his name for attendance.

As his name was close to the beginning of the alphabet, Dib's name was quickly called. He zoned out as the teacher reeled off the rest of the names on the class roster.

The teacher paused as she reached the end of the page. "Hmm," she said, tapping her pen against her desk "Zita's absent. She almost never misses class. Does anyone know where Zita is?" she asked the class. Dib's head shot up from his desk upon hearing the words "Zita's absent". This he had to hear.

A boy raised his hand slowly, casting apprehensive looks in Dib's direction. "She's at the hospital for observation. She" he paused, unsure of what fib would make an effective cover story for the fight of the day before, "fell and hit her head yesterday, the doctors think she has a moderate concussion."

"Oh, well, thank you for letting me know Brent," the teacher replied business-like, slipping the paper into a folder. "She'll just have to catch up on the lecture material when she gets back. And on that note, let's get started shall we? Today's lesson will be on…"

Dib tuned out the teacher's boring lecture and pondered over this new bit of information. That explained it then, Dib thought. Zita was one of the most popular girls in school, widely considered by the student body to be untouchable in matters of school politics. Dib had not only escaped her 'lesson' but he had also sent Zita to the hospital. Dib had effectively proven to his classmates that he was not to be messed with.

Dib's brow furrowed as his mind turned to a more upsetting thought. As much as he had wanted and needed to defend himself, and had been justified in doing so, he shouldn't have hit Zita quite so hard.

Dib generally felt angry, hurt, and frustrated - tired of trying so hard only to be treated so poorly by everyone. But that didn't excuse badly injuring Zita. He was supposed to protect his species from the alien menace not attack them himself. His classmates were just a small sample of the human race but still…the implications of his recent actions struck him as more than a little disturbing.

Dib mentally smacked himself. Here he was again, thinking about that same dilemma when he had already resolved to put it out of his mind. Determined once more not to let that subject continue unhindered in his brain, Dib looked over to the right side of the classroom.

Zim, who had moments before been staring intently at Dib, quickly averted his gaze and started doodling on the paper in front of him.

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><p>Another chapter! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I really really appreciate the kind words and nice feedback I've gotten. I'm sorry this chapter is a little slow in terms of the action, but it was necessary. Next chapter will have ZADF goodness =D (ZADF comes before ZADR in my mind).<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Life is Change

Rated: T

Summary: Dib's miserable high school life takes a strange turn when his long-time arch nemesis Zim proposes a temporary truce. What could Zim be up to this time? Eventual ZADR.

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

Lunch arrived none too soon, giving the high school student body a break from the tedium of a morning filled with nothing but classes. Once again Dib was trailed as he got his meal and found a table. He looked over his shoulder at the alien walking a few feet behind him. Lunch with Zim was becoming a regular occurrence it seemed. Dib didn't mind having Zim around as much as he would have thought only a week ago. His lunch break, like much of his life, normally revolved around watching Zim. With Zim sitting at his table, Dib could keep an eye on Zim and at the same time… Zim could be annoying beyond belief, but he at least made Dib feel a little less alone.

Dib plopped down in his seat and tentatively took a bite of the dubious looking substance on his tray. He gagged and put his tray aside. No lunch for him today. He glowered at the cafeteria workers. Of all the days to serve corn and mayonnaise….he was starving. It was his own fault for forgetting to pack lunch half the time, knowing what the cafeteria was like. But it would be nice if they served something that humans normally eat every now and again.

"So, Dib-human," Zim said conversationally. "I couldn't help but notice your fellow dirt monkeys have been less obnoxious than usual today."

Dib grumbled, trying to get comfortable on the hard bench with a stomach full of emptiness - to no avail. He exhaled heavily in irritation and focused his attention on Zim instead. "They're scared Zim. Yesterday freaked them out."

Zim laughed, "As well they ought to be." He nodded enthusiastically. "Filthy humans, of course they fear the mighty fists of ZIM!" With this narcissistic proclamation came the usual outpouring of evil laughter. A few students looked over curiously, but most ignored Zim's outburst. It was more notable when the ugly green kid _didn't_ do something loud and annoying during the lunch period, as this was an extremely rare event.

Dib chuckled at Zim's antics. His new laissez-faire attitude, while taking some effort to maintain, made it much easier for him to find Zim's quirks amusing.

Zim ceased his cackling and blinked, eyes wide and curious. The sound coming from the human's noise tube was somehow different than Dib's usual triumphant laughter. He hadn't noticed it at the time, but thinking back on it, Dib had been making similar laughing noises the other night at his base. His antennae twitched under his wig, trying to translate the variation in the familiar sound into meaningful information. After a few moments of fruitless effort Zim gave up. Humans had too many different emotions for him to ever make sense of all of them, even when his poor antennae _weren't _being suffocated by his horrible hair piece. If it was important Zim's amazing brain would have been able to figure it out. Zim returned his concern to the conversation.

"They were already scared of you Zim, that's nothing new. They're scared of me because I finally fought back against them." Dib smiled, resigned, "I didn't just resist a little either – I really hurt someone."

"The Zita-monster you mean?"

"Yeah."

Zim frowned "I gather that this upsets you, Dib-stink. And with that enormous head -"

Dib cut him off, "My head's not that big!" he protested.

Zim ignored him, plunging ahead, "I would have expected you to be smarter. Doesn't your species have some generally accepted self-defense rule that excuses your actions? You were attacked first."

"Well…"  
>"Well nothing Dib. She threatened you, giving you every right to defend yourself. "<p>

Dib scowled, glaring at an innocuous spot on the table rather than responding to Zim's irritatingly logical argument.

"Besides," Zim continued, "This is a good thing Dib-monkey! You've cowed your classmates into submission. As I said yesterday, for a filthy human, you are the superior being Dib. It's about time your fellow pig-smellies bow down before your large-headed might! Bask in your victory human!"

Dib glowered some more at the off-white plastic as he contemplated Zim's argument. Putting aside the fact that Zim was incapable of understanding the complexity of human emotion, his reasoning was fairly sound. It wasn't as though Dib had sought Zita out and punched her for no reason. She initiated the whole ordeal. Reminding himself that it was self-defense could lessen his guilt somewhat, if not entirely.

And as for Zim's other point, Dib already agreed with the alien. Fear wasn't the emotion that he ideally wanted to elicit from his classmates, but it was nice to not to be bullied for once. He could work with fear. Admiration could come later, after he'd revealed Zim to be an alien.

Yet even as he repeated this age old promise to himself, doubt sprang into Dib's mind. He no longer had the same feelings of certainty that he had had as a child. Whether he could ever win over his peers with evidence of Zim…he didn't know anymore.

However, Dib couldn't dwell on this sentiment. No matter how torn and unsure he felt, he had to hold on to something. There was nothing else to live for. How else could he obtain the love and companionship that he so desperately desired? This thing – whatever it was – with Zim would only last as long as Zim felt like being on vacation. It was temporary, doomed to vanish the minute Zim resumed his quest for world domination. That being the case, he couldn't let himself get too emotionally invested. His long term plan _had_ to be to expose Zim.

Zim looked at Dib expectantly, awaiting a reply from the human. Dib eventually looked up. "You're right," he said blandly.

Zim grinned, "Of course Zim is right! I'm Zim!"

Dib smiled back at Zim, "You sure are."

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><p>Hey everyone, hope you like the new chapter! Please review if you can, I love reviews! ^^ School is in full swing, so I'm doing my best to update as fast as I can, but homework must come first. Bear with me folks, the story will continue!<p> 


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